﻿MORAL 
  AND 
  MENTAL 
  DEGRADATION. 
  157 
  

  

  to 
  note 
  the 
  indisputable 
  fact 
  that 
  men 
  are 
  lia- 
  

   ble 
  to 
  degradation 
  and 
  decline, 
  — 
  and 
  this 
  even 
  

   as 
  regards 
  the 
  knowledge 
  and 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  

   those 
  industrial 
  arts 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  very 
  exis- 
  

   tence 
  of 
  large 
  populations 
  may 
  depend. 
  As 
  

   regards 
  moral 
  character 
  the 
  possibility 
  and 
  the 
  

   fact 
  of 
  degradation 
  is 
  not 
  less 
  certain. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  

   result 
  only 
  too 
  common 
  and 
  familiar, 
  both 
  as 
  

   regards 
  individuals 
  and 
  societies 
  of 
  men. 
  In 
  

   truth 
  this 
  kind 
  of 
  decline 
  almost 
  always 
  pre- 
  

   cedes 
  the 
  other. 
  The 
  higher 
  elements 
  of 
  civili- 
  

   zation 
  depend 
  on 
  qualities 
  of 
  the 
  mind. 
  It 
  is 
  

   by 
  moral 
  and 
  intellectual 
  force 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  

   triumphs 
  of 
  civilization 
  are 
  achieved. 
  When 
  

   that 
  force 
  declines, 
  the 
  agencies 
  of 
  degradation 
  

   establish 
  their 
  ascendency, 
  and 
  the 
  complete- 
  

   ness 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  done 
  their 
  work 
  is 
  

  

  